A deletion of a small region on the long arm of chromosome 15 causes a developmental disorder in children called Prader-Willi syndrome when the deletion is inherited from the father.However, the deletion of this same region of chromosome 15 can also be inherited from the mother, but this inheritance results in a completely different set of symptoms, called Angelman syndrome.What type of genetic phenomenon does this represent?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This represents genomic imprinting, where the expression of a gene depends on whether it was inherited from the mother or the father, due to epigenetic modifications that occur during gamete formation. The deletion of the same chromosomal region on chromosome 15 can cause different disorders depending on whether it was inherited from the father (Prader-Willi syndrome) or the mother (Angelman syndrome).

A Deletion of a Small Region on the Long Arm